34 posts from June 2013

By Dawn Phipps

Do you know what someone on SNAP (food stamps) looks like? I often
hear the stereotype that SNAP recipients are deadbeats and leeches who sit on
the couch all day, refusing to get a job.

But that is so far from reality. I know because I was on SNAP. Hard
times happen, and sometimes people need a hand.

Food stamps, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program — or SNAP — are a lifeline for 1 out of 6 Americans. This week Congress is voting on the
farm bill, which funds SNAP. The new bill could cut SNAP benefits for 800,000
families and kick 2 million people off of the program.

But thanks to your support and involvement, Bread for the World is
fighting to make sure this doesn’t happen. Just a few days ago, I joined
hundreds of compassionate Bread members like you who came to Washington, D.C.,
to talk with members of Congress.

You can help keep that momentum going by joining our summer effort
to help hungry people. A
few generous donors will match your gift to
Bread with one of their own—up to $85,000!

I never imagined I would need to receive SNAP benefits. I’m a
single mom who has always worked full time. But when the recession hit a few
years ago, I was laid off.

Three weeks later, I began to receive unemployment. It was
helpful, but didn’t replace what I was making. I started to apply for every job
that I could. Eventually, I found myself applying at McDonald's—and was told
that I was overqualified.

Feeling desperate, I realized that if I was going to take care of
my son, I was going to have to ask for help. This was like admitting defeat.
But I learned that the strongest people ask for help.

SNAP was there when I needed it, and we need to make sure it will
be there for others. That’s why your gift today is
so important. People should never have to face hard times
or hunger alone.

Dawn Phipps is a nurse and Bread for the World advocate living in Boise, Idaho.

Updated, 6:15 a.m., 11:34 a.m., 1:23 p.m. 6/20/13

Debate on the House farm bill began today, with a final vote expected in the next week. The
representatives will consider as many as 103 amendments, some of which could
increase hunger, and others that would help hungry people. Below is a rundown
of some of the key amendments Bread for the World will be closely monitoring. Ultimately,
we are pushing for “no” votes on any final legislation that cuts SNAP (formerly
food stamps) or food aid. Even if you have already done so, please call your representative at 1-800-326-4941 or send an email
today.

The SNAP cuts included
in the House bill could kick at least 2 million people off of the program,
reduce benefits for more than 800,000 families, and leave 210,000 children
without free school meals. Cuts to food aid programs could cost lives and
hinder the ability of the United States to effectively reach millions of people
in need. These cuts must not stand.

Amendments Bread for the World Supports

McGovern Amendment (No.1): Restores the $20.5 billion in SNAP cuts included
in the House bill by cutting commodity programs and crop insurance payments. Bread
for the World strongly supports. Amendment No. 1 to restore SNAP funding failed in a recorded vote of 188 yays and 234 nays. To see how your representative voted, clickhere.

Royce-Engel Amendment (No. 15): Includes common-sense reforms providing much
needed flexibility in the Food for Peace program. Will help the United States reach
an additional 4 million disaster victims through overseas food assistance
without spending any additional U.S. taxpayer dollars. Bread for the World strongly supports. Amendment No. 15 to reform food aid narrowly failed in a recorded vote of 203 yays and 220 nays. To see how your representative voted, clickhere.

Duckworth Amendment (No. 68): Requires USDA to conduct a
study and report back to Congress its findings on the impact of SNAP cuts on demand for
charitable food services. Amendment No. 68 adopted in a bloc-voice vote.

Amendments Bread for the World Opposes

A number of harmful amendments
have been submitted that would reduce benefits or make access to the SNAP
program more difficult for qualifying participants.

Conaway Amendment (No.23): Creates a provision in the SNAP program that
would reduce benefits to qualifying participants by 10 percent if Congress
fails to pass a farm bill. Amendment No. 23 rejected by voice vote, and withdrawn from recorded vote by Rep. Conaway.

Kingston, Westmoreland, Austin, and Scott
Amendment (No. 24): Repeals the SNAP benefit boost enacted in
2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This benefit boost is
set to expire in November.

Huelskamp, Goodlatte, Neugebauer, Jordon,
DeSantis, Stewart, and Chris Amendment(No. 101): Cuts SNAP funding by $31
billion and also eliminates programs such as SNAP nutrition education and job
training, which help participants transition out of poverty. Although the SNAP
program has existing work requirements, this amendment imposes additional
requirements, making it more difficult for qualifying participants to access
the safety-net program when they need it. Amendment 101 adopted in a vote of 175 yays and 250 nays.

Southerland, Westmoreland, Kingston,
Bentivolio, and Schweikert Amendment (No. 102): Creates
a state option that allow states to change their SNAP work requirements to
match stricter federal welfare work requirements and financially incentivizes states
to reduce SNAP caseload by providing states funding based on how much they
reduce caseload. Amendment 102 failed in a vote of 227 yays and 198 nays.

Reed Amendment (No.103): Ex-offenders who have committed a set of
specific violent crimes would be permanently banned from ever receiving SNAP. Amendment No. 103 adopted in a bloc-voice vote.

We will update this blog
post as each amendment receives a vote over the next few days.

By Robin Stephenson

Each month,
Bread for the World’s organizing and government relations departments team up
for a grassroots conference call and webinar to make sure our members have the
most up-to-date information on polices moving through Congress that affect
hungry and poor people. Yesterday, Bread’s director of government relations,
Eric Mitchell, began the briefing by stating that there is a lot going on in
Washington, D.C., right now—immigration, appropriations, sequestration, and
voting the House farm bill, which includes devastating cuts to SNAP
(formerly food stamps) and international food aid.

In the Senate,
members continue to debate immigration
reform and are expected to vote before the July 4 break. Hunger and
immigration are connected and Bread will continue to monitor progress and take
targeted action.

Both
the House and Senate are grappling with appropriation
bills, and the size of each
pie is currently very
different, reported policy analyst Amelia Kegan. The appropriations committees
differ on several points, including
sequestration, in their calculations, and if there is no
agreement by Sept. 30 when the government’s fiscal year ends, the vast distance
between drafts will likely result in a continuing resolution. Sequestration,
which harms both long and short term responses to hunger, could be averted
through debt ceiling negotiations, but that depends on voters. Kegan said that
during her meetings with congressional offices on the Hill, she is often asked
to tell Bread members to speak up by making calls to Congress. “Just because
it's not in the news, doesn't mean it doesn't matter,” she said.

But the main
issue of the day, on which the current call
to action is focused, is the House farm
bill which, in its current form, includes $20.5 billion in cuts to SNAP and
$2.5 billion in cuts to food aid. As of last night, Mitchell reported that the
House Rules Committee had received 225 amendments—including 75 that impact
nutrition and two on food aid—some that threaten to increase hunger. We will
monitor those amendments and, if they reach the floor, provide updates here on
the Bread Blog. Not all of the amendments are harmful, though—Bread for the
World is actively asking for support of the McGovern amendment, which would
restore SNAP funding. An amendment on food aid by Reps. Royce and Engle would
also decrease hunger by increasing the flexibility and efficiency of food aid
programs. Ultimately, a final bill that includes any cuts to programs that
help hungry and poor people, either at home or abroad, must be met with a
resounding “no.” But that will only happen if you make
calls and get your networks to speak up.

Stating the sad
reality that has remained true with each cost-cutting proposal since the budget
negotiations began, LaVida Davis, Bread's director of organizing, said that “the
people that are the most vulnerable get thrown under the bus first, so we have
to be vigilant.” The sounds of ringing phones should be echoing throughout the
halls of Congress today
and continue until a final vote has been taken. Let them know you are
listening.

We will continue
to follow and report on any new developments around immigration, sequestration,
the budget, and the farm bill. The next conference call and webinar will be
July 16. Below is the slide show from last night’s webinar portion.

Robin Stephenson is national social media lead and senior regional organizer, western hub, at Bread for the World.

“[B]read for the World
members are not most folks. When it comes to anti-hunger advocacy, we don't
check the opt-out box because the policy is complex or the numbers seem
daunting. We don't turn to other issues because partisanship has heated up,
legislation is blocked up, and people are fed up.”

—Amelia Kegan, Bread for the World senior policy analyst, speaking during Lobby Day on June 11

Make sure Congress knows there is an organized and unified body of
Christians who believe hunger is unacceptable. Call Congress today and
tell your representative to vote “no” on a farm bill that includes cuts to SNAP.

Update: 6/19/13

We expect two amendments to be considered and voted on today that Bread for the World strongly supports. Please urge your representative to

1. Vote against any cuts to SNAP and vote for Rep. McGovern’s amendment to restore SNAP funding. The
SNAP cuts included in the bill could kick at least 2 million people off
of the program, reduce benefits for more than 800,000 families, and
leave 210,000 children without free school meals.

2. Oppose cuts to food aid and vote for the bipartisan Royce-Engel amendment to make food aid more efficient. The
amendment will feed at least 4 million more people at no additional
cost to taxpayers by making the food aid system more flexible and
efficient.

*

By Eric Mitchell

This week, the House of Representatives is considering a
farm bill that includes more than $20 billion in cuts to SNAP (formerly food
stamps) and $2.5 billion in cuts to international food aid programs. Numerous
harmful amendments submitted to the bill threaten to cut SNAP further or make
dangerous changes to the way the program works.

Your representative needs to
hear from you today.

The SNAP cuts included in the bill could kick
at least 2 million people off of the program, reduce benefits for more than 800,000
families, and leave 210,000 children without free school meals. Cuts to food
aid programs could cost lives and hinder the ability of the United States to
effectively reach millions of people in need. These cuts must not stand.

Call
your representative today and urge him or her to vote against a farm bill
that includes cuts to SNAP or international food aid. Tell your representative
that you

Oppose any cuts to SNAP and
support efforts to restore funding to the program, and

Oppose cuts to food aid and support efforts to make the program more
efficient.

The next 48 hours are
critical as the House of Representatives moves to vote on the farm bill. Call your representative at 1-800-326-4941 or send an
email today.

Thank you for continuing to use your voice to help ensure a
place at the table for all God’s people.

Eric Mitchell is Bread for the World's director of government relations.

By David Beckmann

In the closing minutes of Bread for the World’s 2013 National
Gathering, Rep. John Lewis entered a caucus room packed with hundreds of
exhausted Bread members who had spent the day walking the halls of Congress,
meeting with their lawmakers on behalf of hungry and poor people. The civil
rights leader brought them to their feet with a rallying cry:

“Continue the fight. Continue the struggle. Never give up until
everyone has food.”

Thanks to you and thousands of other faithful advocates, we are
making progress against hunger. This was clear at our National Gathering, held
in Washington, D.C., June 8-11. More than 1,000 anti-hunger advocates joined
us in prayer, training, education, and advocacy.

On Lobby Day, Tuesday, June 11, Bread members engaged legislators
or their staff in 199 meetings, telling our stories and those of people in
need, urging our leaders to consider the most vulnerable when they cast their
votes—and reminding them that we are holding them accountable. Three-quarters
of the Senate was visited by Bread members during Lobby Day.

Quietly, steadily, we are building a critical mass in the fight
against hunger and malnutrition, especially as it affects the youngest and most
vulnerable.

On Monday, June 10, participants from more than 20 countries
joined us for a special day-long international meeting, “Sustaining Political
Commitments to Scaling Up Nutrition,” which was convened by Bread for the World
Institute and Concern Worldwide.

Leaders from governments, nongovernmental organizations, and civil
society joined Bread members to take stock of the movement to improve nutrition
for mothers and children during the critical 1,000 days that lead to a child’s
second birthday.

Over the past three years, 40
countries with high malnutrition rates joined the movement to Scale Up
Nutrition (SUN) and have highlighted nutrition in their
development agendas, while donor governments and nongovernmental organizations
are investing in new and innovative ways to prevent and treat malnutrition and
undernutrition. Immediately prior to the June 10 meeting, world leaders
committed $4.15 billion to scale up direct nutrition interventions and an
additional $19 billion for nutrition-sensitive programs in agriculture and
other sectors.

Our 2013 National Gathering revealed the power and the glory of
God working through us to end hunger. I am filled with gratitude for your
commitment to this important work. I
thank all of you who attended the Gathering or sent prayers as we took our
message to Capitol Hill.

And I thank everyone who worked behind the scenes or took center
stage to bring us together for a remarkable long weekend. We enjoyed a sold-out
production of Lazarus: The
Musical, which was created by Joel Underwood, with new music by Bill Cummings.

We shared a special screening of the documentary A Place at the Table,
followed by a meaningful discussion with the people who shared their lives
onscreen and in the companion book, Barbie Izquierdo, Bob and Michaelene
Wilson, and Sharon Thornberry—as well as director Kristi Jacobson.

Our workshops and plenaries were led by renowned experts from
across many fields. And Bread volunteers, interns, and staff kept it all
humming.

I have so much more to share from the Gathering: stories, photos,
and details about the progress that we are making to end hunger. You will be
receiving a follow-up newsletter in a couple of weeks with important
information about where we go from here to end hunger.

In his keynote address, Dr. Rajiv Shah, administrator for the U.S.
Agency for International Development renewed the commitment of the U.S.
government and applauded the advocacy campaigns of Bread for the World:

“Together, you form one of the greatest movements alive today—the
fight to make hunger, malnutrition, and extreme poverty permanently a thing of
our past.”

David Beckmann is president of Bread for the World.

By Robin Stephenson

This week the Senate passed its version of
the farm bill, with 66 “yes” votes and 27 “no” votes. The Senate version
included $4.1 billion in cuts to SNAP, the program
that serves as our nation’s first line of defense against hunger. As high rates
of unemployment and underemployment and a tough economic climate persist, this safety-net
program has been a godsend for those struggling to make ends meet. Now is not
the time to cut a program that is reducing hunger in America.

Next week, the House of Representatives is expected
to begin voting on its version of the farm bill, which includes even more drastic cuts to the
domestic nutrition program than the Senate’s bill: SNAP would be slashed by $20.5
billion under the House proposal. If these huge cuts become law, millions of
families would see a reduction in their nutrition assistance – vulnerable
populations such as the elderly and children would be hit especially hard. Churches
and charities, for all they do, cannot absorb such an increase in
need.

It is critical that Bread members speak out now. Even if you have
already done so, contact your representative again. House members must hear
repeatedly from constituents that a farm bill with any cuts to SNAP should be
met with a “no” vote, and such extreme cuts need to be met with extreme
outrage.

Silence is approval, but a loud response from voters calling for
protection of programs for hungry and poor people can have a long-term
effect. “If you defeat the SNAP cuts in
the farm bill, they’ll start taking anti-hunger advocacy seriously,” says Eric
Mitchell, Bread for the World’s director of government relations. “When it
comes to the farm bill,” he explains, “many members of Congress cater to all
the different special interests; it‘s time they take nutrition seriously.”

Coalition partners are gearing up for a coordinated call-in day on Tuesday,
June 18. Early next week, expect to receive an action alert from Bread for the
World asking you to contact Congress, even if you called or emailed as recently as
last week. “This is a critical time,” says Mitchell.

Mitchell, along with the government relations team and the organizing
department, will give an update on the farm bill and other key issues during next
Tuesday’s national grassroots conference call and webinar, so be sure to register for this session. SNAP, food aid,
and the latest news on the sequester will be discussed.

Bread for the World opposes any cuts to SNAP in the farm bill and is
asking members of Congress to vote “no” if the bill comes to the floor. If the House version passes, then the House
and Senate bills enter conference, meaning they come up with a compromise
between the two bills, which would then be voted on by both chambers. Going
into conference with $20.5 billion in SNAP cuts as a starting point would make it extremely difficult to
come to a compromise that would protect programs that help hungry and
poor people.

If the House version of the farm bill is defeated on the floor, some
options for moving forward might include sending the draft back to the agriculture
committee for changes, another short- or long-term extension of the farm bill, or
leadership may choose to vote on the Senate bill.

But no matter what is decided, Bread
for the World will continue to spread the message that SNAP works and should
not be cut in any final piece of farm bill legislation.

Robin Stephenson is national social media lead and senior regional organizer, western hub, at Bread for the World.

Efforts to reduce
malnutrition in Rwanda help to thwart the rise of HIV and AIDS, saving
the lives of countless infants and young children. (Photo: Bill McCarthy
for EGPAF)

By Lior Miller

For the past 10 years, Rwanda has made significant achievements in
scaling up its health system to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic and
maternal and child mortality. As the Rwanda Country Officer for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
(EGPAF), I have witnessed many of these transformations firsthand.
While Rwanda is often cited as a success story for infectious diseases –
deaths from tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV/AIDS dropped by 80 percent
in the past decade – not enough people know about the remarkable
improvements in reducing the country’s high malnutrition rate.

Malnutrition
is a state resulting from too little food, inadequate nutrient intake,
and frequent infections or disease. It can manifest in a number of ways,
but the most common is stunting, which affects
165 million children under the age of ive worldwide. In 2005, more than half of
Rwanda’s under-five population was stunted. Just five years later, the
stunting rate had dropped to 44 percent. This number is still high, but
due to concerted efforts by the national government and its partners,
progress is expected to continue.

The first 1,000 days of a child’s development – from pregnancy to 2
years of age – are a critical period for health and survival. Adequate
maternal and child nutrition during this period is crucial for both
cognitive and physical development. Stunting, in particular, affects
brain development and is associated with lower cognitive abilities, poor
school performance, and lower earnings throughout the lifetime.

In response to the country’s high malnutrition rate, the Rwandan Ministry of Health developed the National Multi-sectoral Strategy to Eliminate Malnutrition in Rwanda.
One of the key strategies outlined was the scale-up of community-based
interventions to prevent and manage malnutrition in children under five
years of age and in pregnant and lactating mothers. In this
intervention, community health workers use behavior change communication
to teach women about optimal feeding practices through a package that
EGPAF and PATH harmonized with Rwanda’s national plan. The health
workers counsel mothers, fathers, and other caregivers to promote social
and behavior changes, including improved maternal diet, early
initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding for six months,
safe water and hygiene, how to care for a sick child, and growing
kitchen gardens and learning small animal husbandry for diet diversity.

Counselors also discuss nutrition in the context of HIV, since
malnutrition threatens the health of HIV-positive mothers and their
children. Malnutrition weakens the immune system and causes faster
disease progression. Inadequate food intake can affect adherence to
antiretroviral medication and drug effectiveness. Because HIV progresses
faster in children than it does in adults, the risks posed by
malnutrition make them even more vulnerable to mortality. Moreover,
because HIV-positive pregnant women are less likely to gain adequate
weight than non-infected women, counseling on maternal nutrition during
pregnancy enables them to give birth to normal weight babies, increasing
their chances of survival.

Malnutrition has more detrimental effects than hungry bellies, and
efforts to reduce stunting rates also improve maternal and child
survival, decrease HIV-related mortalities, and increase economic
productivity. Rwanda’s success in reducing malnutrition, and eventually
eliminating it altogether, is due to a number of factors, including a
strong health system with universal health coverage, integrated health
services, and an emphasis on vulnerable populations. In addition, the
importance of the government’s political and financial commitment cannot
be underestimated. With more families being reached at the community
level through the concerted efforts of the Government of Rwanda, EGPAF,
and other partners, I have no doubt we can achieve the elimination of
malnutrition and new HIV infections in children in Rwanda.

To learn more about the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation's work in Rwanda, click here.

Rev. Luis Cortés at Bread for the World's 2013 National Gathering. (Joe Molieri/Bread for the World).

Immigration and hunger are closely related. Addressing
Bread for the World members during the 2013 National Gathering in Washington,
D.C., last weekend, Rev. Luis Cortés, Jr., noted that “Food, like immigration, is a fight
about morality.”

Rev. Cortés, president of Esperanza
USA,
the largest Hispanic faith-based community-development corporation in the
country, said that comprehensive immigration
reform must be a key component in efforts to end hunger. “To not have immigration
reform,” he said, “is to perpetuate hunger in America.”

Debate on a 1,000-plus page bill has begun this week on the
Senate floor and is expected to continue through the July 4 break. The
"Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act"
includes an earned legalization process for 11 million unauthorized immigrants,
increased enforcement both at the border and inside the United States, and a
revamped guest worker program for both low-skill and high-skill sectors.

Senators from both parties are preparing dozens of
amendments to the bill. Proposals that do not take into account hunger as a
root cause of migration or address domestic hunger in immigrant populations in
the United States offer an incomplete solution.

Hunger
is a root cause of migration and reducing hunger
internationally would ease forces that push unauthorized immigration, reducing
the need for those escaping extreme poverty to flee their countries of origin.
Lack of legal status in the U.S. also contributes to food insecurity and
exploitation. Rev. Cortés pointed out the irony that many immigrants are farm
workers who lack access to adequate nutrition: “You know what is really weird? When you work on a farm and you’re hungry,” he said

During the National Gathering workshop “Immigration as a Poverty and
Hunger Issue," Bread for the World Institute senior immigration analyst Andrew Wainer presented the
stark facts (see PowerPoint below). According to the Department of Labor,
the average income for a farmworker is between $17,500 and $19,999 each year, and poverty rates for
undocumented immigrants are disproportionately high.

The call to end hunger must include extending
legal status to undocumented workers while providing development assistance to
countries with high poverty rates.

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Bread for the World is a collective Christian voice urging our nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad. By changing policies, programs and conditions that allow hunger and poverty to persist, we provide help and opportunity far beyond the communities in which we live. Bread for the World is a 501(c)(4).